Summary

Organic farming has grown considerably during the last decade in Europe and currently accounts for about 2% of agricultural area of the European Union compared to 0.5% in 1993. While still small in absolute terms, growth rates are impressive, and organic farming actually represents an exception within European agriculture being a growing subsector. It seems plausible that a number of developments have jointly contributed to this growth. The two most important factors are undoubtedly a developing market for organic products and the influence of policy.